[ODFW-News] Private lands damaged by wildfires eligible for wildlife habitat rehabilitation grants

[ODFW News]

For Immediate Release Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2005

Private lands damaged by wildfires eligible for wildlife habitat
rehabilitation grants
 
SALEM - The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's Access and Habitat
Program today announced grants to help restore wildlife habitat on
private lands affected by this season's wildfires. 
 
The A&H Program has earmarked $60,000 specifically for reseeding project
grants. Although the grants are available to private landowners
throughout the state, it is anticipated that the need will be greatest
in Northeast Oregon, as well as in the Ontario, Burns and Klamath Falls
areas.
 
The A&H Program is funded by a $2 surcharge on hunting licenses.  Funds
raised by the program are distributed through grants to individual and
corporate landowners, conservation organizations and others for
cooperative wildlife habitat improvement and hunter access projects
throughout the state
 
The A&H Program in 2003 provided nearly $140,000 in emergency reseeding
grants to rehabilitate private timberlands burned by the extensive
wildfires in Oregon. That effort resulted in 13 reseeding projects
covering 7,829 acres.
 
The largest reseeding effort was the Winter and Grizzly Fire
Rehabilitation Project, near Summer Lake, where 3,539 acres of winter
deer range were re-seeded. The seeding also helped prevent noxious
non-native plants from overtaking the burned area.
 
Of the $200,000 in A&H funds earmarked for reseeding in 2002, $132,446
was spent. Cooperators contributed $102,372 for a grand total of
$234,818.
 
To qualify for a 2005 grant, projects must be seeding projects located
entirely on private land containing critical wildlife habitat that has
been burned during this year's fire season. In addition, the proposed
seed mixture must be approved by local ODFW biologists and all equipment
needed to complete the project must be readily available. Projects must
be completed during Fall 2005.
 
The Access and Habitat Program application process normally takes three
to four months. Because the optimal time to reseed burned areas will be
this fall, a streamlined application review and approval process has
been established. The Access and Habitat Board will review the first
round of project proposals by conference call on Sept. 8, 2005.
 
For more information or to apply for an emergency reseeding project
grant, contact a local Access and Habitat Program Regional Coordinator:
 
Northwest Region
 Rick Boatner, Portland  503-621-3488
 Nancy Taylor, Corvallis  541-757-4186 
 
Southwest Region
 Vince Oredson, Central Point  541-826-8774
 
High Desert Region
 Larry Pecenka, Bend   541-388-6444 
 Dan Gonzalez, Hines   541-573-6582
 
Northeast Region
 Jon Paustian, La Grande  541-963-2138 
 
For additional information on the A&H Program call program coordinator
Nick Myatt, 503-947-6087 or visit the Web site at
www.dfw.state.or.us/AH/.
 
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